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August 15, 2024
 

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Patrick St. Michel
Patrick St. Michel is a Tokyo-based writer with a focus on Japanese music. He runs the blog Make Believe Melodies, which has focused on Japanese independent music since 2009. Besides The Japan Times, he also contributes to MTV 81 and The Atlantic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 26, 2018
Behind the ever-changing sound of Wednesday Campanella
It's a sure bet that when Wednesday Campanella plays a festival lineup, frontwoman Kom_I will steal the show.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 23, 2018
Struggling to stay on top of fake social media posts in a disaster
Shortly after the Kansai region was rattled by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake on June 18, photos of the damage started popping up on social media. Tweets showed a bookstore that looked as if it had been turned upside-down, a damaged electronic sign at a train station and shattered glass in front of a ticket...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 23, 2018
Lawson's mango and milk soft cream: even better for the waffle cone
Lawson's seasonal soft cream brings plenty of sweetness and mango flavor.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 21, 2018
Online media pick up #MeToo stories the major outlets miss
The Japanese media love a scandal and so far 2018 hasn't disappointed in that regard. Two recent stories centered around J-pop idols have been mostly ignored by mainstream outlets, but both have taken off online thanks to web publications, hinting at a shift unfolding in the nation's news landscape.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 16, 2018
Meet summer head on with Coco's limited-edition Pop Blue Soda kakigōri shaved ice
The addition of popping candies on top of this Blue Hawaii and lemon-flavored kakigu014dri might not add much flavor-wise, but they are a treat to be enjoyed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 16, 2018
Online Japanese releases under fire after missing the mark
Even the most innocuous upload can carry political baggage online in 2018. It’s a truth Western users have become used to, where a pancake restaurant’s idiotic rebranding strategy can become a discussion about the appropriation of gang culture. Recent examples show that Japanese netizens are just...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 14, 2018
Get ready for summer: Night pools, outdoor concerts and Pikachu armies
You know when you go on YouTube — or Spotify, or Netflix — and you’re faced with so many options for entertainment that you don’t know where to start? It can feel like that with Japanese summer festivals, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 9, 2018
Instagram rules and food trends flourish in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo's Koreatown
Move over, Harajuku. Although the Instagram-ready 'rainbow hot dog' might bring the crowd to Shin-Okubo, Korean food is well on its way to becoming a true culinary staple.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 9, 2018
Lemondo: Coca-Cola's first foray into the world of alcopops
Is it worth shipping Coca-Cola's new alcoholic drink 1,000 kilometers from Kyushu? Undoubtedly yes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jun 2, 2018
The Fresh Mint Chocolate Pizza promises two things: mint and sugar
This Max Brenner creation is a punchy blend of mint, chocolate, ice cream, marshmallow and almonds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 2, 2018
Smartphones leading charge to shame troublemakers online
Everyone in Tokyo has a commuting horror story, but sometimes you need to see an example of some really rough behavior on the trains with your own eyes to understand just how bad some people have it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 26, 2018
'Westworld' slays fans with re-creation of Edo in Shogun World
With its story of life-like robots in a Wild West-themed amusement park becoming sentient, and the complications that arise as a result, the television show “Westworld” has attracted a dedicated following over the past couple of years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 26, 2018
Stay clear away from Asahi's Clear Latte
Picture this: the milky, coffee flavor of a latte, transformed into what looks like a bottle of water. That's the driving idea behind Asahi's Clear Latte.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 19, 2018
Shiseido's 'Higashi wo Dori Parfait' is a cornucopia of fruit and flavor
The Salon de Cafe in Ginza has a limited-edition fruit and green tea parfait that hits all the right summery notes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 12, 2018
Family Mart's frozen, Technicolor frappes: drink them for the gram
Instagram-friendly food has made it to the final frontier — convenience stores. Plenty of konbini offerings in the last couple of years have looked good enough to share on social media, but Family Mart appears to be the first to sell something explicitly designed for the selfie-loving set.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 10, 2018
Can Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic give U.S. hip-hop a boost in Japan?
This summer's slate of music festivals are putting more of a spotlight on American hip-hop. Fuji Rock Festival announced Kendrick Lamar and the group N.E.R.D as headliners, while Summer Sonic features Chance the Rapper on its main stage. It's a considerable showcasing moment for a genre having an up-and-down...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 5, 2018
Coca-Cola Frozen Lemon: What's Coke without the fizz?
...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 5, 2018
Susaki otter Chiitan leads a new generation of mascots with personality
Registration for this year’s Yuru-kyara Grand Prix opens on May 7, with eyes nationwide turning to see which cute and cuddly mascot will snap up the prestigious award in 2018.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 3, 2018
Nariaki Obukuro comes out of left field
Nariaki Obukuro bristles at the suggestion he makes J-pop. He prefers his music being described as J-pop-adjacent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Apr 28, 2018
Pop-up Haagen-Daaz Sabo delivers with tea, ice cream and twists on the traditional
Treat yourself this Golden Week to ice cream with a little Japanese flair.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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